Freedom found in living simply

Thoughts to ponder before one season is over and a new one begins

left and right photos by Jen Huang

So I have had this reoccurring dream over the past 3 years about waking up in the morning and walking out to a beach and literally running into the ocean without a care in the world. Its actually one of those pleasant dreams that you somehow wake up remembering. I thought of this image from a magazine shoot way back and realized this image sums up this dream I have!! Maybe the image gave me the dream ? But now when I look at it I want this image to be a feeling I work towards with my health journey. Can I tell you something?? Since leaving my life going 150 miles an hour to 0 miles an hour has forced me to strip away so much noise in my life to simply waking up and going to sleep with just the essentials on my mind. Don’t get me wrong, my stress level is still high due to my health stuff but its different. My health has forced me to cut out all the peripheral noise of life, job demands, perfectionism, working long hours, trying to meet the expectations of many, being available, being here there and everywhere. Sound Familiar? I have been required by my body to sit still, focus on healing, my breath and being quiet even in a season that is brimming with fun. My waiting season is long but its also eye opening in ways I never could see through the lense of being healthy. But I am going to share it with you now to save you the trip I have gone on in a way to learn this. I am here to tell you its OK to strip away the peripheral burdens we give ourselves and trade them to live a life that is more simplistic and intentional. I dare you……. Peel back the layers of expectation and being everything to everyone and doing a thousand activities and having a full calendar. My dare is one that comes with experience from the other side. I dare you to free yourself . Only you can do this. Its hard but incredible at the same time. I will be sharing more on an in depth blog post at some point or possibly a small ebook on this subject in the future as I have now experienced both extremes and have so much insight into creating a simpler less stress life for yourself no matter where you live or what your life looks like. It just simply starts with the word NO.

My top tips for Starting

The theme here is grounding , senses and saying NO. This list is simply a place to start- pick one thing then add on as you go.

Learn to say NO boldly , bravely and lovingly. Look at your monthly calendar and cancel 5 things (projects, engagements, activities, etc) that dont really serve you or allow you to be at ease. These may include things that require you to participate or prepare or require time that you would rather put elsewhere- do this every month until you notice a difference in your ability to just be present in more important things in your life.
Remove the word “busy” from your vocabulary and while you are at have your body follow suit. We have been wired to think moving and being busy and tacking on yet one more activity or taking on more work or more engagements is associated with success or progress or somehow, a sense of self worth. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is creating and circulating a fight or flight response within your body that in turn leaves you depleted in every way that counts.
Put your energy into just the things and people who have the highest return investment in your life for the long haul not just short term.
Set expectations for your work time- afraid of letting your team or boss down? Do it anyway. Setting boundaries and saying no to overtime , or giving more than your body can physically handle etc is commendable – they may surprisingly respect you for this, especially if you are a hard worker and your work shows it. I am not saying this is always possible in every circumstance but I have done it myself and was successful at it.
Ground yourself using all 5 of your senses to appreciate things you simply zipped on by before. Learn to sit in quiet and notice the small things around you and take a mental note of it or journal it- the smell of Saturday morning breakfast, listening to the sounds of the season from the couch with a window open, the feel and smell of flower petals in your hand, your feet barefoot grounded in sand or grass, the sun on your face in the evening, the smell of rain, the birds and animals that pop into your yard.
Skip the dishes- having a rousing conversation around the table? Let the dishes sit until tomorrow- its not that important. We have tricked our minds and bodies to be ever moving and doing- its time to retrain the impulse.
Stressed about the Laundry piles? Let them sit a few days. Get beautiful baskets or hampers with lids – one for clean and one for dirty- toss em in and come back to them later.
Start a ritual that you do daily or weekly or even monthly. This can be taking a yoga class, learning to bake your grandmothers recipes, having tea time with your kids, gua sha etc
Take your dinners outside when you can if you have access. Also setting the table with your nice dishes and eating together- in the old days their nice dishes were their everyday dishes! Make it special!
Have a stack of conversation starter cards for the dinner table and living room for when you have guests over or you are together as a family. This is a lot of fun and promotes conversation
Things that are beautiful should be USED and be prominent and incorporated into your home in a visible way and things that aren’t beautiful or practical hidden in clever ways but accessible. You can appreciate beauty but also LIVE in beauty starting with this practice and mindset. If your things are of beauty and value to you then at the very least your messes will be pretty right? Its not going to be perfect but its a grounding place to start . Sometimes beauty starts within the simplicity of objects that bring joy when used such as using your favorite dishes, linens and pretty cleaning supplies, a nice laundry basket.
Live with the mindset of only having things in your home that you really love or serves a specific purpose and get rid of the rest. Its sounds hard but honestly its soo freeing and gets easier the more consistently you do it. I am still working on this myself.
Invest in clean water, clean air and clean food in your home – this is the basis for simple slow living as its rooted in foundations of healthy living for both the people and the home they live in.
. This may be the most unpopular . Get rid or hide the tv! I haven’t had a TV in 14 years. Why? Because it becomes a focal point of an entire room and reinforces to us that WE need to have it as a source of entertainment , comfort and conversation and togetherness. We rely on it to do the work of connectivity and conversation – the work that we once did as humans ages ago. We have forgotten how to play games ,read and talk, listen to music in place of it. Look I pass no judgement on anyone with a tv at all , I still have all my Netflix shows on my phone and ipad and love my shows but I don’t make it a permanent fixture and center point of a living room that screams watch me. Living rooms were made for living and a room without a tv at the center is the most beautiful and freeing room. Even just simply closing it behind doors can create a barrier between “needing it” and only using it occasionally.

” ….Peeling back the layers of your life and removing what is not necessary is up to YOU only. You hold the key who gets the best of you ”
Kelly Moore